


Tomorrow, Today

by thequietrecluse



Category: GOT7
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Arranged Marriage, F/M, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, chaebol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2018-10-24
Packaged: 2018-12-30 04:25:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12100665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thequietrecluse/pseuds/thequietrecluse
Summary: When business chaebol Park Jinyoung came out to his incredibly hard working, astonishingly wealthy, and permanently absent parents, he’d been expecting a few things.Getting beaten or yelled at.Being put down for the rest of his life and being invisible and unloved.Getting disowned.Ruining his family's reputation and business, therefore becoming their downfall....Ending up in an arranged marriage with the gay son of another business power couple had not been one of them.Especially considering he knew the guy.(Formerly titled "What Kind of Arranged Marriage is This...?")





	1. Off-Putting

Jinyoung had never intended to reveal his sexuality to his parents. As soon as he had gotten over the terrifying period of realizing his sexuality and the world he now lives in, he had resolved himself to do what was best for his family and marry a girl and raise children to carry on the family business. It was a sacrifice he was willing to make for both his family and his family’s reputation. Besides, he had been introduced to the girl he was going to marry when they were very young, and they were really good friends. While she wasn’t in  _ love  _ with him, per se, he still didn’t want to disappoint either her or her family. So he was prepared to marry her.

If he did have any intention of coming out to his parents, having them come home early from a business trip and burst into his room while he was clearly watching gay porn was probably the last--and worst--way for them to find out. 

“Um...” Jinyoung’s face was hot enough to fry enough food to feed several carnivals’ visitors all at once. “I...”

His mother didn’t say a single word, her mouth wide open. In the midst of his absolute shock and the silence, a loud, erotic,  _ masculine _ moan echoed from his computer, making him scramble to pause the video.

His father, who had been trying to find a way to formulate words, finally had a reaction. He let out a loud laugh, startling both Jinyoung and his mother. “Don’t worry, Jinyoung-ah. We’ll leave you in peace. Please do come down for dinner, though.” He grabbed his wife’s arm gently, and led her from the room.

Jinyoung’s heart was pounding. This was not what he wanted to happen. They were never supposed to know. Could he play this off as just experimenting? Curiosity? His parents weren’t explicitly homophobic, but he did know that they never really interacted with gay people often. He had met many businessmen who were very conservative and would rather die than admit they have a gay son. His parents weren’t as bad, but he didn’t want to affect their business by having an publicly gay son. It was better for everyone if he just got married to Yena. Speaking of which...

Jinyoung raced for his phone, quickly dialing a familiar number.

She answered quickly. “Jinyoung-oppa?”

“Yena-ya,” he greeted rather uneasily. “I have something to tell you.”

“Okay,” she hummed. The sound of clanging metal sounded in the background. “Don’t mind me, I’m just making dinner.”

“What are you making?” Jinyoung was always interested in whatever Yena was making. She always cooked excellent meals, preferring to stay in than go out. She also liked to experiment with different cultural cuisines. 

“French onion grilled cheese,” she replied. “I figured it would be a good combination. Besides, I can use the leftover onions for actual soup. Maybe the next time you come over, you can try it.”

Jinyoung, despite his stress, anxiety and fear, smiled, albeit slightly. Yena was... an interesting person. She was like a breath of fresh air in the stifling world of chaebols. She was a chaebol of an unusual hybrid: her father was the owner of several different chains of five-star restaurants in Seoul, ranging in price and cuisine, while her mother was a well known brain surgeon in the vastly large city. Thankfully, she also had a twin brother, which made their family situation much easier. Her brother was officially the medical chaebol, while she was the cooking chaebol. However, the two of them knew a good deal about the other profession, in case one had to take over for the other.

“Jinyoung?” Yena’s soft voice broke him out of his reverie. “There was something you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Yeah,” Jinyoung sighed into the receiver, his tentative happy mood slipping away. “Yena-ya, I know we’re supposed to get married, but... I’m not sure it will be happening.”

“What? Why?” As he had expected, Yena wasn’t devastated nor shocked, but confused. “Our parents have been planning this ever since we were born! They almost never stopped talking about it. What would make them change their mind?”

“Yena-ya... please keep an open mind,” he pleaded, voice shaking just a bit as he pushes his rising emotions down so he can choke out, “I’m gay.”

There was a long silence on his fiancé’s side, and with every passing second, Jinyoung’s suppressed panic threatened to rise to the surface, making him struggle to keep his cool, though his face completely contradicted his facade.

Finally, she responded. “Okay. That’s fine.”

At first, he couldn’t believe it. “Are you sure, Yena? I mean...”

“Jinyoung-oppa,” his fiancée’s smooth voice calmed him down. “I don’t care. You and I know we aren’t compatible romantically. We were never going to fall in love, no matter how much our parents tried to make us. As for you being gay, I don’t mind either. It’s just another reason why we can’t be together properly. You are free to love whoever you want. I was just surprised, that’s all. But what does that have to do...” Before Jinyoung could explain, Yena let out a little gasp. “Oh no... did your parents...”

“Find out? Yeah, they did,” Jinyoung breathed out. “They, um, came in when I was watching something... off-putting.”

“Oh...  _ Oh _ ,” Yena sighed in realization. “That’s... certainly not the best way to find out. When was this?”

“Right before I called you,” he replies. “Appa didn’t seem all too mad, but oemma...”

“It can’t be that bad,” she said reassuringly. “For chaebol society, your parents are pretty nice. They do seem to care about you. I’m sure it will be fine.”

“What about you?” Jinyoung couldn’t help but ask. “Will your parents try to find a marriage for you?”

She laughed softly, the gentle tenor of her voice barely audible over the phone. “It’s very kind of you to ask, Jinyoung-oppa, but I think I’ll be fine. I don’t know why they made the match in the first place, but they won’t try to match me with someone else unless they were desperate. My twin brother is in an arranged marriage as well, so one of his kids could become my heir. I will be fine, so let’s just worry about you, okay?”

“Thanks,” he said dryly, making her chuckle. Then he let out a groan and slammed his head on the desk. “Dinner’s going to be so awkward.”

“Do you need me to drive over?”

He sighed. “No. I think I can handle it. But can we meet for lunch tomorrow? I want to talk to you in person.”

“Of course,” she agreed. “Is eleven good for you?”

“Yeah, can we meet at Paradise Café? I think I'm gonna need you,” Jinyoung said. 

“Are you sure you don't need me to drive over?” Yena asked again. 

He took a deep breath. “No, I'm sure I can do it. I can handle my own mistakes. I just wish you didn't get screwed out of the security I could give you, gay or not.”

“You're too kind for this world, oppa,” she said. “Go relax and prepare yourself. You are who you are, Jinyoung-oppa. If they kick you out, you are always welcome to stay with me.”

“Thank you, Yena-ya. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The call ended, and Jinyoung let out a loud groan, burying his face in his hands. 

Dinner was in an hour. 

* * *

Jinyoung prepared himself at the doors of the dining room. He was dressed properly for dinner, in a crisp button down and slacks, but he was so self-conscious he might as well have put on a suit. On the other side of the doors were his parents, who had found out their son was not the man they had thought he was, and had their entire perspective of him changed. He had packed a bag in case he had to leave temporarily, but if he was disowned... he didn't know what he would do. Yena-ya couldn't take care of him forever; it was already bad enough that she could offer him a place to stay, considering she was younger than him.

He couldn't stay out here for long. Dinner started promptly at seven, and his parents had burned punctuality in his brain, so he had two minutes to open the door. Two minutes. 120 seconds, well, about 100 seconds now... 90... 80... Screw it.

Opening the door, Jinyoung walked in to see... his father.  _ Only  _ his father. “Appa?” He asked, nervousness rushing back to him like a wave. “Wh-where’s oemma?” It was foreboding, seeing that the person who had reacted the worst to his sexuality was absent.

Serious, his father answered, “she’s in her room.”

The fear that struck him was so tangible: his body broke out in a sweat, his heart beat soared, and his hands began trembling. “O-oh,” he muttered. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

“Son, please sit,” his father said simply, gesturing to the chair across from him.

Nervously, he sat down in the cold, hard, elegant chair, and waited as their dinner was served. The dishes contained most, if not all of his favorites, but he couldn’t bring himself to eat, not now, when his stomach is revolting in anticipation for his verdict. The smell of food, no matter how hungry he was, 

Obviously seeing his son’s discomfort, his father sighed and put down his chopsticks. “Jinyoung-ah... you know that in this world, an heir is needed to keep the company within one family.” He waited for Jinyoung to nod before continuing. “Your mother and I debated after you were born to have another child. We eventually decided we didn’t want our kids to fight over their inheritance or feel undesired because they weren’t the heir, so we stopped after you. That being said, we weren’t expecting for you to be gay.” He shot a look in his son’s direction. “Actually, I’ve never confirmed if you were gay, or bisexual, or otherwise.”

Jinyoung hadn’t thought it could get worse, but the tentative hope in his father’s eyes was killing him slowly. “I’m... I’m sorry, appa,” he whispered, watching that little hope crumble. “I’m gay.”

“Oh,” his father sighed, running a hand through his hair.

Before he could speak again, Jinyoung blurted out, “I didn’t mean to ever let you know,” he rambled. “I... When I found out, I didn’t want to change any of your plans. I would still marry Yena, I would still run the company, I would still be... everything would be okay. I wouldn’t bring your company down, I wouldn’t alienate all the business partners you have, I wouldn’t ruin anything. I will still marry Yena. I may not see her as a lover, but she is still precious to me. We can... we can still have children, or we can adopt--”

“But you would still be living a lie,” his father interrupted finally. “You know that I pride myself on being as honest of a businessman as I can, Jinyoung-ah. I believe that honesty is the best way to a happy work environment, a happy relationship, and a happy life. Have I always been honest? Not at all, but I’ve never lied about myself. Lying about yourself is the worst form of dishonesty, and I will not let you become a dishonest businessman, let alone a dishonest person in general. While admittedly I wasn’t happy to find out, nor was I expecting to see this side of you, I still want you to be happy. While I appreciate you wanting to stick to our plans, I don’t need you to become miserable and angry at us for something you forced on yourself to please us. So tomorrow morning, I will call the Kims and inform them that the arranged marriage between you and Yena will be terminated.”

“Appa, what about Yena? What will her parents say if you tell them that? Will they blame her?” Jinyoung exclaimed, standing up.

Unphased, his father waved for him to sit down. “I will make it very clear that Yena was not at fault. Besides, we only made the arranged marriage because we were so sure that you two would end up together anyway.”

Now  _ that  _ was news to him. “What?”

“You know Mr. Kim and I were friends in college, yes?” Jinyoung nodded, and his father continued, “You two were born so close in age, we joked around saying that you two would get married. When you grew up and you were so close to her, we thought that our jokes could become reality. So we arranged the marriage so that you guys could be together and not have to worry about finding someone.”

“Really?” It was like bombshell after bombshell today, and Jinyoung didn’t know how much more he could take before it became too much. “Then why didn’t you tell me?”

He sighed. “You seemed so happy with the idea when you were younger,” his father explained. “I really did think you would fall in love with Yena naturally so I never thought to tell you. I didn’t want to cheapen anything.” He gave his son a contrite look. “I am sorry about that.”

“I... I understand,” Jinyoung finally said, before thinking of one important thing. “Appa?”

“Son?”

“... Why won’t oemma see me?”

A tense silence immediately fell over the room as his father’s face fell. “She... is not so open minded about this.”

Jinyoung’s heart sank down to his toes. “Am I...” he couldn’t quite say it. Being disowned was a nightmare, and he couldn’t accept this becoming reality.

“No, Jinyoung-ah, you’re not being disowned,” his father reassured him. “I will not allow any child of mine, whether I had twenty or just one, to be disowned for something as important to life as love. Your mother is a traditionalist, as I’m sure you know,” Jinyoung nodded rapidly, that was obvious to a complete stranger, “and she was incredibly upset that you won’t be giving her a daughter-in-law or conceive a biological child. You know how long it takes for her to calm her emotions, so I recommend that you find an apartment to live in temporarily while I try to reason with her.”

Jinyoung glanced down at his lap, stomach rolling again. That was the explosion he had been waiting for, the part that would really drag at him, weighing him down with guilt. His mother disapproved of him, wanted him to be straight. He felt like a disappointment, regardless of all his achievements so far: his degrees, the articles about him, the economic success of his department, nothing mattered to her. It mattered more that he was gay than everything he had done before to please him.

“Jinyoung?” His father’s voice broke through his reverie, and he looked up into his father’s concerned face. “Your mother still loves you, you know that. She’s just shocked, and now has to pick between her ideals and her son. It’s not an easy decision for her, and she needs time alone to think about the right decision, not only for her, but for you, and for us and for the company. She doesn’t want any influence from anyone, not even me. I’ve already given my advice. You’re not being exiled, Jinyoung. You need a vacation too, after all this upheaval. If you want, you can take the week off. Let me know what you plan to do, okay? Do you know where you’re going to stay?”

He nodded. “I’m staying with Yena... I told her everything before I came down here. I’ll... I’ll see you soon, appa.”

His father smiled proudly at his son. “I’ll see you soon too, Jinyoung-ah. But for now, let’s eat.”


	2. Too Sweet

The smell of something sweet and light woke Jinyoung up from his bed in the guest room. Sunlight streamed through the cracks in the blinds, casting the room in a soft glow. There was the quiet sizzle of a pan in the kitchen, and Jinyoung knew Yena was already up making breakfast. Throwing the covers off, he got changed and brushed his teeth before heading to the kitchen.

“Good morning,” Yena greeted, flipping a paper thin pancake. “I’m making crêpes. Can you set out the fruits and spreads on the table?”

“Of course,” he agreed, picking up all the small bowls and setting them on the table, getting spoons for each of them. “Are you sure it’s a breakfast food? It smells so... sweet.”

“American breakfast foods can be sweet too,” she replied. “Besides, it’s not like this is an entire French breakfast. Actually,” she frowned, “the French don’t eat too much of a breakfast as it is, from what I read. If you want something else, just let me know.”

“Anything you cook will be fantastic,” Jinyoung said loyally, setting the plates.

“Alright, alright, no more flattery out of you,” she teased, setting down a stack of crêpes separated by pieces of parchment paper. “The crêpes are already sweet enough, I don’t need you to be sweet too. Let’s eat.”

He chuckled as the two settled down at the table and began to eat. Like she had told him, the crêpes were sweet, but, mixed with the different fruits and spreads Yena had laid out, it wasn’t too overpowering. “Man, if I knew staying with you meant I would be trying so many different cuisines, I would have stayed with you earlier.”

“Well, maybe, maybe not,” she hummed. “I felt like you need a distraction, and what better way can I distract you than my specialty, food? The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, right?”

He laughed outright this time, the sound of Yena’s laughter joining his. “Definitely. Besides, you save me the money to travel to all these places and try their food.”

She shook her head, looking rather aghast. “Don’t compare my food with its traditional cuisine! It can’t compare, similarly to how Korean food is different outside of Korea unless it’s made by someone who spent time in Korea learning the traditional recipes and can be trusted to maintain the integrity of the culture represented in the dish!”

Jinyoung almost choked. “Wow,” he said after he cleared his throat. “I’m sorry Yena-ya, I didn’t know it was a touchy subject.” His tone was light and joking, but she still jolted in shock and realization.

Yena visibly reddened, and she ducked her head. “I, uh, I get really passionate about cooking. It’s the same for Yugyeom too with medicine _and_ food. It’s one thing we share in common.”

“Well, it’s nice to see it now,” he said softly, giving her an equally soft and gentle smile.

The past week and a half had been... _strange_ to say the least. Ever since he arrived at her apartment building _that_ night, things had taken a strange turn. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he hadn’t been able to mention it to Yena while in the middle of his family turmoil.

She hadn’t questioned anything when he called her on the drive over, simply giving him the passcode and her apartment number. She had fed him the French Onion grilled cheese sandwiches she had made earlier, showed him to his room, and let him sleep without a single mention of his family. The next morning, though, she reminded him to meet her at Paradise Café at eleven, like they had planned, before leaving for work. When he met her for lunch, she had asked about the dinner, and he had told her _everything_ : from his father’s honesty to his mother’s request for solitude. She had simply listened, taking in everything and mulling it over before replying simply, “I told you they weren’t like normal chaebol parents. You had nothing to worry about.” Somehow, that made Jinyoung feel a little better. Yes, he had known his parents probably wouldn’t have disowned him, but hindsight was 20/20, wasn’t it? In that moment, all he could think of was the negative scenarios his mind went to in a moment of irrationality and fear and anxiety, and logic had been shoved into the closet for the time being. Now that most of it was over, he could relax, as long as he didn’t dwell on his mother’s impending decision.

As soon as this issue was over, however, another one came along, this time, concerning Yena and Jinyoung themselves. Yena had been the perfect host, years of training and experience drilled in her head, and there were never any awkward or uncomfortable moments, but... it was almost _too_ comfortable. He stopped feeling like a guest and started feeling like... like a _husband_. He would wake up to Yena humming as she made breakfast and prepared their lunches.  He would come home to Yena cooking dinner. The two of them would eat dinner together while sharing work stories. When they were done, Jinyoung would insist on Yena resting while he washed the dishes. The two would talk some more while watching dramas, relaxing from their day before going to bed at the same time. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat.

They were playing house, and it was making him _so_ confused. He was gay, yes, but he was so _comfortable_ living with her, essentially like husband and wife. Even the living situation wasn’t abnormal: it had been their original plan when they got to the age where they had to serious talk about their upcoming marriage. If he had to, he could be very content marrying Yena and living with her for the rest of his life, but that still didn’t change the fact that he was gay. He could never give her what he wanted, and he would be taking away her opportunity to get it herself. He didn’t know what was going on, only that it was a serious issue, but he couldn’t get away. He didn’t have anyone else to go to besides his parents: everyone else he knew were business partners, kept at a careful, professional distance, and not trustworthy enough to stay with for extended periods of time without reason.

Before he could fall deeper into his thoughts, his phone rang. Jumping up hastily--and banging his knees on the table--he answered the call while moving to his room for some privacy, in case it was a business call. “Yes?”

“Jinyoung-ah?”

His heart stuttered. “O-Oemma.” She had called him Jinyoung-ah, not Jinyoung- _sshi_. That had to mean something, right?

“Jinyoung-ah,” there was something wearied yet soft in her voice, like Jinyoung had taken years off her lifespan, “can we meet for lunch today?”

“Of course, oemma,” he replied, voice gentle.

“Meet me at the restaurant we always go to at noon,” she said.

“Yes, oemma,” he agreed dutifully.

There was a long pause, and then his mother said, “I love you, Jinyoung-ah.”

Jinyoung let out a dry sob, breath caught in his choked-up throat as he took in his mother’s words. She still loved him. She still cared about him. That was enough, wasn’t it? “I love you too, oemma.” he breathed.

“I’ll see you soon,” she replied. “We can talk more then.”

“Alright, I’ll see you at lunch,” he complied, and then hung up. As soon as he did, a huge smile broke out on his face, and he felt giddy. Excitedly, he jumped up and down, ran around his room, and did his best to release all his pent up energy from being so happy. It wouldn’t do to go to work so ecstatic: he wouldn’t be able to focus.

Two or three minutes later, he had calmed down enough to get ready for work. He would be a little late, but it was worth it. Besides, he was the boss’ son, and he didn’t mind using it to his advantage just this once.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this.”

Jinyoung let a very _manly_ screech and whirled around to see Yena leaning against the doorway of his bedroom, an amused smile on his face. “Yah, did you forget to knock?”

“I did,” she replied easily. “You just didn’t hear me. I kept hearing noises, though, so I thought I should just check on you anyway. So... I’m assuming this is good news, but work wouldn’t make you this happy, so I’m going to make a guess and say that your mom came around?”

“Yes! Well, not really,” he clarified. “She just wants to meet up for lunch today, but she said she loved me. That has to count for something, doesn’t it?”

“It counts for a lot,” she said contemplatively, walking fully into the room. “If she’s still wants to meet with you, that’s a good sign, though it doesn’t mean she’ll accept you. She might have the moral integrity to give you her answer face-to-face, but the outcome is still up in the air. She said she loved you though, right? It’s probably more likely that you won’t get disowned,” a smile appeared on her face. “This is good news! If your mother still loves you, then she might be more lenient. It’s definitely a good sign. Where are you guys going to meet?”

“The restaurant we always go to,” he replied. “Should I dress up?”

“A chaebol’s never a sloppy dresser,” she said, “but I guess you can dress up a little. Maybe a little more formal, more trendy? I would help, but contemporary fashion isn't my strong suit, let alone men’s fashion,” she waved dismissively. “I can call Kunpimook, see if we can pull something together from your closet.”

“Please?” Jinyoung asked. He normally didn’t like to talk to the over-the-top fashionista, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

She walked out of the room as Jinyoung threw open his closet and began pouring over his clothing options, comparing button-up shirts with slacks, trousers and pants with ties. He knew what colors went with what and what designs clashed with what, but this was a special occasion. He couldn’t come in wearing a full suit--that wasn’t his normal work attire, and his mother would catch on quickly, but he couldn’t bring himself to dress normally and give the impression that he didn’t care, though he knew his mother wouldn’t think that. The clothing options he had now, though, were... lacking. Maybe it was him, but nothing screamed “I am still your clean cut, chaebol son” anymore.

When Yena came back, she was talking to someone, looking rather exasperated. “No, we don’t have his full closet... No, we can’t go to his house, his mother’s there and she might catch us--or catch on... You aren’t serious, there’s hardly enough time for Jinyoung to get dressed with the clothes he has, let alone drive to your boutique... Okay, I’ll ask. Jinyoung?” She pulled the phone away from her ear. “Do you have a light blue shirt... okay, he does, so... a dark blue silk tie? Okay, okay, don’t yell at me! I’m sorry! What shade of blue is it? Pantone? Kunpimook-ah, you know I do not memorize neither the individual codes nor the names of Pantone colors for entertainment. Use layman's terms, please. Okay...” she glanced over Jinyoung’s wardrobe options before picking up a shirt and pants. “I think this is it. Let me send you a picture.” She quickly snapped a picture and sent it. “I sent it to you, let me know when you get it. ... Okay, that’s good? Alright, I’ll see you soon. Thank Kunpimook-ah. No, I’m not calling you that! I _am_ a chaebol, I hope you remember that next time I call. Goodbye.” She hung up with a distinct click.

“I never realized you didn’t like talking to Kunpimook that much,” he said awkwardly.

She shrugged. “I don’t mind him, he’s been a good friend, but he’s... too much to handle sometimes. He lets me speak informally, and he is a good distraction from life. I just can handle him in small doses.”

“Like a three minute conversation?” he teased.

“Yah, didn’t I get you help?” She scowled playfully.

He frowned back as he began to gently push her out of his room. “Watch your tone, I _am_ still older than you. Now shoo, I have to get changed.”

“I’ll call the driver for you, _oppa_ ,” she replied, grinning smugly as she left.

* * *

Lunchtime never came so slow. It was already bad enough on any other day for everyone else, but today Jinyoung thought time moved particularly slow. He felt like he had finished a week’s worth of work before it was even 10 o’clock (He had, in fact, done an entire week worth of work--he did work better under stress) and had spent the rest of his time debating what to say to his mother at lunch. At eleven, he finally decided to just head over to the restaurant. He informed his secretary that he was taking his lunch break and called for his driver.

Thankfully, that had been a good decision, as the traffic was so bad he didn’t get to the restaurant until five minutes before he was supposed to meet his mother. Jinyoung’s heart clenched the moment he saw his mother standing primly at the entrance, head held high and proud, though not arrogant. It was something Jinyoung always admired: her confidence and self-assurance in everything she did. It was just that right now that confidence was terrifying from the other end. “Oemma,” he greeted.

“Jinyoung-ah,” her eyes softened, just a bit. “Shall we go in?”

He nodded, and the two of them walked into the luxurious restaurant.

Recently, all of the important things have happened over a meal, Jinyoung realized belatedly as he perused the menu. He learned more and more about his family with each meal he spent with them.

The two of them, sitting in a rather private booth, discussed the company and other small talk topics until their meals had arrived.

“Jinyoung-ah.”

It seemed like every time she said his name, Jinyoung went through a plethora of emotions: fear, worry, happiness, confusion, trepidation, skepticism and more surged through him before he could formulate a response. “Yes, oemma?”

“I was disappointed in you.”

The absolute fear and dread that overtook him were swift and powerful, but before he could open his mouth, she continued.

“I was so disappointed that you were gay: I was overwhelmingly offended that you were, and I was angry. Your father, thankfully, reminded me that the beliefs my own father held did not always apply to the world we--and you especially--live in, and that being gay wasn’t the same as evil. I forget to be unbiased and fair when I’m angry, and I promise you I will continue to work on it. Once I did more self-analysis, I realized that I was more upset that you didn’t tell us. I thought that you would tell us everything, from business matters to personal ones. I thought we had raised you to be _honest_ .” She took a sip of her drink, face covered in worry. “After some time, however, I started realizing some reasons _why_ you wouldn’t tell us. You always were our pride and joy, Jinyoung-ah. You were spoiled rotten but kept in line by our rules and expectations. When you became a teenager, we stopped spoiling you but kept our rules and expectations on your shoulders.” She stared straight into Jinyoung’s eyes, her own eyes full of regret now. “You thought you were expected to marry Yena and have kids, regardless of the fact that you were gay, yes?”

It took a lot of effort for Jinyoung to respond. His mother’s speculations were uncannily accurate, and it almost hurt to see his mother uncover what he had tried to hide so badly. Finally, he nodded, struggling to keep his tears from reaching his eyes.

She hummed. “I see. For that, I apologize. You should have never felt that much personal burden and not feel comfortable coming to us for help. Even though you’re as much of an adult as your father and I are, there is still a lot we can teach you, and we will never turn you away if you need help. We will always support and guide you, Jinyoung-ah. I’m sorry for being a cause of fear or worry for you.”

Keeping his composure was getting to be too much for Jinyoung, so he quietly hid his face to let out a few tears and then recompose himself. He jolted slightly when he felt a comforting, familiar hand on his head, running through his hair while another gently pulled his hands away from his face to wipe his tears.

His mother was comforting him.

It had been a little over a decade since she had last done so, as it was the last time he had cried in front of his parents. To feel it again, after so long, only made him cry harder, thankful for the privacy their booth offered and the distance from the other patrons so as they wouldn’t see this spectacle.

Once he had fully regained his composure, his mother went back to her seat, and they resumed eating for a few minutes before she spoke again. “Jinyoung-ah, while I was considering everything, I came up with a proposition for you.”

“A proposition?” Jinyoung didn’t know what to think. It had to have something to do with his sexuality, but he wasn’t sure what... unless...

His own words to Yena, back before everything really started, flashed in his head. _“Will your parents try to find a marriage for you?”_

“Oemma,” he began hesitantly, “are you going to arrange another marriage for me?”

She shook her head. “Not exactly. You will never end up in an arranged marriage or any forced obligations ever again. I refuse, after seeing what it has done to you. However... we will use the term to keep our reputation while hopefully modernizing the society we live in to allow others like you to carry on the businesses they’d like without letting their personal sides get in the way.”

“I’m not quite following you,” Jinyoung said, confused.

“A former friend of mine called me a few weeks back,” she began, “complaining and lamenting about her son, who had come out long ago, when he was in high school. She was going on and on about the ‘waste of investment’ he was, and I was rather infuriated at her audacity to call her son a waste of any kind, which made me disregard the topic of his sexuality altogether. I informed her that she had other sons who were very much appreciative of women, and that they could be the heir, and that her gay son could hold some other position of importance without consequences. Two days ago, I called her, proposing for him to enter an arranged marriage with someone I knew in favor of interest: my ‘choice’ had no interest in marriage at all, and wouldn’t mind being put in an arranged marriage for pretenses. It was a win-win situation for her: her gay son would be put in an arranged marriage with a person uninterested in him, without expectations for him, which would be more incentive for him to accept, and she would not have to deal with the ‘shame’ of having a gay son. She called me today, accepting the offer on behalf of both her and her son. She has no idea, however, that my ‘choice’ is you, Jinyoung-ah. She believes it is a girl, regardless of the fact that I never used any feminine pronouns. She will be furious when she finds out, but my interests lie in protecting the best interests of you and her son. I will handle the outrage. Of course,” she waved dismissively, “if you find that both of you have no interest in getting married, the contract can be nullified with the same ease that we nullified your contract with Yena.”

It was too much to handle. His mother had put him in an arranged marriage that wasn’t actually binding for the sake of both matching him with someone he might like and protecting his potential fiancé from enduring the wrath of said fiancé’s mother. The arranged marriage would also have the added bonus of potentially ripping apart the traditionalist ideals of the chaebol world, allowing chaebols to explore their sexualities without repercussion from their parents.

Overall, it seemed like a very solid idea. All possibilities seemed to have been considered, and there was more in his favor than anyone else, save for his potential fiancé, but it was still mindboggling. He simply couldn’t wrap his head around it. His traditionalist mother was trying to destroy the traditionalist chaebol world she and generations before she were accustomed to in favor of building one that was more open to people of all sexualities.

After a long period of silence that was either a few minutes or several hours, his mother added, “The first meeting with the son is next weekend. I will give you some time to think about it, and I would like an answer by the Friday before. Is that alright with you, Jinyoung-ah?”

Mindlessly, he nodded. Time was good. He could figure everything out in time and then give his mother a proper answer. He definitely would have to consult Yena for advice.

Another thought popped into his head as they were leaving the restaurant. “Oemma, what is the son’s name?” She had never mentioned a name, which was confusing, but he had to know.

“Tuan Mark,” she replied. “I believe he went to the same high school as you, only two years up.”

Ice cold shock flooded his system.

 _Tuan Mark_.

He knew that name.


	3. Guilty Party

He drifted through work and came back to Yena’s apartment in a daze. His mind wouldn’t wrap around his mother’s words. It was already too much to handle the arranged-marriage-not-arranged-marriage as it was, but knowing who his potential fiancé was tipped him over the edge.

 _Tuan Mark._ The name burned in his brain for the past several hours prompted 2-3 years of teenage hormones and drama to come rushing back.

He’d known him in high school. He’d been two years ahead of him, and was one of the few publicly out kids in the school. Some people saw that as grounds for bullying, but he was like a shadow: he could just _evaporate,_ just like that, and then reappear in his next class like he’d been there all along. No one could pin this kid down, and after a while, no one bothered. Of course, that didn’t stop people from completely trashing his reputation and gossiping about him, using him to drag other potentially gay kids through the mud. He’d been a loner all through high school.

And the worst part? _Jinyoung hadn’t helped him._

Jinyoung hadn’t been one of the bullies, that was for sure: his parents had always thought bullying was demeaning and unclassy, and so Jinyoung hadn’t even thought about becoming a bully, but that hadn’t meant he’d done something to protect him. He’d been too afraid to get bullied, especially because he had Yena by his side, and he hadn’t wanted to implicate her in all this either. He was guilty because he didn’t do something, and now he didn’t know how to approach Tuan Mark. What was he like now? His mother didn’t touch too much on what he was doing now, only that his mother was still angry with his sexuality, and that he might be heading a department in the family business, but not the entire company, which was apparently a “waste.”

He winced. That was one of the things he had worried about when he first realized he was gay. That was one of his worst nightmares, and Mark was living it. He couldn’t stop feeling so _guilty,_ like it was his fault that Mark was going through his personal hell. Logic said he wasn’t at fault, but his heart said otherwise, cheesy as it was.

“Jinyoung?” Yena’s voice broke through his thoughts, bringing him back to earth, where he was apparently staring at the door to Yena’s apartment and had been for a while. “Jinyoung-oppa, are you okay?”

He jerked. “O-Oh! U-Um, yes, Yena-ya, I’m okay.”

She sighed. “No you aren’t. You were just staring at my apartment door when I got home, and I get home later than you do. Have you... just been staring at my door for an hour when you have the key?”

“No, that’s not why,” Jinyoung replied, “though I have no idea when or how I got here.”

“That’s worrying,” she countered, opening the apartment door. “Come in and sit down. You still have to tell me what happened at lunch with your mother.”

“That’s kind of why I’m a little... hazy,” he said, walking inside and sitting down on the couch.

“Even more worrying,” she looked nervous, her feet rocking back and forth as she observed her ex-fiancé in this state. “Do you need to eat something?”

“No, I can talk about it now,” Jinyoung reassured her, gesturing for her to sit down. “So... my mother accepted me.”

“That’s good news,” she said, easily picking up that there was more to it. “And...?”

“I have the option to end up in a new arranged marriage.” Jinyoung finished. “To a guy.”

Yena froze, not in fear, but in disbelief. “What?” She whispered. “ _Another_ arranged marriage? To a guy? Your _mother_ wants to publicly arrange a marriage with a guy?”

He frowned. “Did you think she would try to hide my sexuality to the public?”

“No,” she backtracked. “Of course not, what with your father’s policy on honesty. But you do know that arranged marriages are usually to match the best children together for the purpose of either a business merger, a business alliance, or to create the _best_ children. Like pedigrees for dogs,” she added rather disdainfully. “This arranged marriage does _none of that._ So what is it for?”

“My mother wants to revolutionize the chaebol world,” Jinyoung replied. “She wants to make it okay for chaebols to be homosexual or part of the LGBT community.”

Yena definitely wasn’t expecting that, and she leaned back in shock. There was a long pause while she thought over Jinyoung’s words. “Wow...” she breathed finally. “Your mother is... bold.”

“Yeah,” Jinyoung sighed, raking his hands through his hair. “And that’s not the worst part.”

“Then what is it?” She asked.

“The guy... it’s Tuan Mark.”

There were a few moments of confusion before the name clicked, and then Yena was on her feet. “ _Tuan_ Mark? Like, the heir to Tuan Incorporated who was bullied--”

“Because he was gay? Yeah, that kid,” Jinyoung confirmed quickly.

“Yah, he’s older than you, don’t disrespect him,” she scolded lightly. “Why is that such a bad thing?”

Jinyoung turned to look at her. Did she really not understand? “Because all this time, all while he was being bullied for his sexuality, there was a kid who was gay like him, and didn’t think to stand up for him? And now he’s going to _marry_ him?”

“You said it yourself, this isn’t binding,” Yena reminded him. “And yes, not helping him back then might have been almost as bad as bullying him, but you aren’t the same person you were then, and neither is he. Besides, this helps him more than it helps you. You could think of it as an apology for all those years.”

Jinyoung shrugged, still not convinced. “I guess.”

Yena sighed. “Jinyoung, Mark’s family is at least twice as conservative as yours. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s suffering so much more than you are. You know you can always turn to me for help: who does Mark turn to? He was an outcast through most of high school, and no doubt his reputation alienated him from making close friends in college who weren’t gold diggers. You know you and I had the same troubles.” Jinyoung could acknowledge that. It had been tough to make genuine friends when the first thing people thought of when his name was brought up was money. “He didn’t have friends in high school, and he probably didn’t have many close friends in college, either. In other words, he didn’t have an escape. He’s probably been surrounded by coworkers who associate him with being his family’s disgrace and his family who treat him like a disgrace. He doesn’t have a place for him to be _him,_ to be accepted.”

Jinyoung knew where she was going with this. “Yena, are you trying to guilt trip me into doing it?”

She looked a little sheepish. “It wasn’t my intention,” she assured him. “I just wanted to remind you that it’s Mark who’s more at stake here than you. You were accepted. He wasn’t.”

Put that way, he felt even guiltier. He had the option to make a person who had a terrible childhood better, and he was more scared for himself than for Mark. It was just _hard,_ to separate the image of the bullied high school student with the man he probably was now. He knew he was being selfish, but he was still stuck in the mode of self-preservation, and he automatically put himself first.

He needed to think about the two people involved: him, and Mark.

In the long run, he would be safe no matter what happened. Bar him doing something _actually_ bad, his parents would stick by his side, protect him from the judgemental eyes of the traditional business world. Mark, however, did not. Judging from Jinyoung’s mother, Mark’s parents seemed to hate him, despise him for his sexuality causing an inconvenience to the family. He was considered useless, almost unfit to be part of the family.

No matter how scared he was, Mark was probably ten times worse off. He had it better, he could offer Mark safety, and he could be himself without having to hide an integral part of him.

His mind made up, Jinyoung pulled out his phone and called his mother.

 

* * *

 

The next weekend came way too soon. Before he knew it, he was panicking in Yena’s apartment--not having moved back into the family mansion--while Yena called Kunpimook again. He found himself dressed in a wine red dress shirt with an appropriate tie, black slacks, belt and dress shoes. Yena styled his hair, called his driver, and wrapped the gift he had bought for Mark’s family while he got ready. Theoretically speaking, the Parks were more powerful than the Tuans, and the Parks were technically doing the Tuans a favor (though he hated thinking of it like that) so he didn’t necessarily need to bring a gift. There had been an emergency at Yena’s workplace, so she had wished him luck before leaving. He was kind of anxious, knowing that Yena wouldn’t be able to help him, but he also knew that she had her own life to live. He often forgot that that was the case with her. She was so accommodating to his life that he forgot that she was still a busy chaebol.

As he was driven to the meeting/date, Jinyoung did everything he could to calm his nerves: count to ten, take deep breaths, anything he could think of. He was doing this for Mark, because Mark deserved something good in his presumably rough life. He was doing this to get Mark away from the influence of his family.

When the car stopped in front of a discrete café on the outskirts of the city, Jinyoung took another moment to make sure his appearance was still neat and professional before stepping out of the car and walking into the café.

He was almost immediately recognized and brought to a private room in the back. As they approached, however, he heard the sounds of a woman yelling, while a calm--and familiar--woman replied in a soothing tone. His mother and Mrs. Tuan were already hashing it out, but how did she figure out it was him who was going to be engaged to Mark in the first place?

“How can you stand up for an abomination like my son! You and I grew up in the same environment, and you know as well as I do how our world operates!”

“Please, Mei, lower your voice. Just because we are in a location meant for privacy does not mean that our privacy is ensured, especially in such a public place. It wouldn’t do well for your husband’s company if word of your anger and lack of dignity were to reach the press,” Jinyoung’s mother answered just as Jinyoung walked in, seemingly at the end of her patience.

He saw his mother and Mark’s, standing beside a long table. Mark’s mother’s face was a bright red, though nothing else about her is out of place: opposite her, Jinyoung’s mother’s expression was much more collected, and there was almost no hint of irritation in her eyes. If it weren’t for the slight change in her voice, Jinyoung wouldn’t have noticed she was starting to get angry.

“How can you support _homosexuals,_ ” Mrs. Tuan all but spat the word, “while your son is in a perfectly happy arranged marriage with a _woman?_ ”

“Mei, my husband and I don’t need a personal reason to have a stance,” Jinyoung’s mother replied. “We both see no harm in falling in love with someone who loves back, regardless of race, class or sexuality. My husband’s thought so for years, and I recently came around to it. Secondly, Jinyoung’s arrangement with Kim Yena was dissolved roughly a week and a half ago because the two are no longer compatible. And, as you can see,” she gestured to where Jinyoung was standing in the doorway, “he’s offered to marry your son in this arrangement.”

Two head whirled in his direction. One was Mark’s mother, her eyes wide in shock as she realized that she had been tricked. The other was Mark himself, who had been the only one seated at the table. His face was pale, his hands gripping the table with equally as white knuckles. There was so much fear and trepidation emanating from Mark that Jinyoung couldn’t help but feel responsible for him, like he needed to wrap him in a hug to protect him from his own mother.

“What?” Mrs. Tuan screeched, seemingly disregarding the fact that they were still in a public place, but Jinyoung was past caring about her. His mother could handle her.

Jinyoung made his way over to Mark, placing his gift on the table before sitting across from him. “Hello, Mark-sshi.” He doesn’t know what to say beyond that, still trying to reconcile the Mark from highschool with the adulthood Mark.

“Hello, Jinyoung-sshi,” Mark greeted quietly. “I didn’t know you were gay.”

Guilt gripped Jinyoung again, and he can’t meet his eyes. “Yes. I only recently came out to my parents and Yena.”

“And they... were okay with it?” He asked.

Jinyoung nodded. “They dissolved my marriage contract with Yena and set this one up with you.” He didn’t want to tell him that it was his choice: after all, Mark hadn’t had a choice when his mother wanted to throw him at a mystery suitor to get him out of the family.

“And you’re... okay with that too?” Mark’s voice was so _broken,_ and Jinyoung immediately knew he had to do his best to reverse whatever damage Mark’s family did to him. It wasn’t fair that Mark could be judged so harshly by his family for something he couldn’t control when Jinyoung was allowed to embrace it without repercussion from his family.

He sighed. “Mark, even if we end up as friends in the end, I don’t care. I want a partner by my side, someone with whom I can be myself and who can be himself around me too. I want someone who really understands what I’m going through, and not just sympathize with me. I want someone who can make me feel safe, and feel understood. Yena’s great, and she helped me a lot, but... she doesn’t understand what it’s like to be gay. She can only speculate.”

Pausing to take a breath, he glanced at Mark. He didn’t think his face could get any more pale, and his wide eyes, slack mouth, and firm grip on the table didn’t make things any better. Maybe he had said too much too soon. He hadn’t even realized the _truth_ in his words: Yena would always be there for him, always have his back and help him out, but she would never be enough. It was a sobering thought, realizing he spent most of his life with someone who could never fully complete him. He knew that was the case the moment he realized he was gay, but it never really hit him until now. It had never sunk in until he actually talked to Mark. What could have been averted if he had talked to Mark all those years ago, when they were in high school, trying to figure out who they were in relation to their family? Could all of this had happened earlier? Could he have helped protect Mark from the trauma of his family?

It was too late to think of the what ifs, not now, when Mark was currently having a mental breakdown in front of him. “I’m sorry if I said something inappropriate,” he apologized. “This is new territory for me, and I’m a little nervous, so if I said something wrong mid-rant, please forgive me.”

Slowly, Mark returned to his senses, eyes locking with Jinyoung’s in a grateful, soft gaze. “No, it’s not that,” he almost whispers. “I just... no one ever says that to me. It’s always about my wealth, about my family, about my sexuality, and it’s always bad things. It’s never about me, or who I am. No one’s ever asks about _me_.”

Jinyoung smiled. Something they had in common, other than the sexuality thing. “Same here. Even before I came out to my family, no one really wanted to get to know me. I was the dutiful chaebol son who didn’t stand out. I wasn’t a jerk, or sassy, or flirtatious or a jerk: I was just respectful and nice and apparently bland to everyone. The only perks to me were my wealth and my looks, and you and I both know those aren’t enough to create lasting friendships.”

Mark laughed quietly under his breath, soft yet awkward, a laugh that wouldn’t be considered appropriate for chaebols yet was endearing to Jinyoung, refreshing in the face of stifling chaebol society. “You only had Yena?”

“I hope you don’t mind that I still have her around,” Jinyoung said cautiously. “I really do see her as a sister. She’s been a big help, and she’s my best friend. Even though we were going to get married, there was never going to be anything. We’d long since accepted that we had no romantic interest in each other, even before I came out.”

“I don’t mind,” Mark answered immediately. “I mean, if you’re gay, then I shouldn’t have to worry, right? You even said that you weren’t attracted to her all this time before you came out, which makes sense because you’re gay, so you shouldn’t be attracted to women anyway. Besides, she’s your best friend, so I shouldn’t try to get in between that. You shouldn’t have to choose between your best friend and your fiancé who you’re in an arranged marriage with and haven’t seen since high school.” Mark was definitely not talking to Jinyoung anymore; he was rambling to himself, in a stream of conscious kind of way that was both worrying and endearing. Jinyoung’s newfound protectiveness overwhelmed him again, making him wish he could put Mark’s fears to rest and help him become more confident.

Jinyoung reached over to grab Mark’s hand. He jerked, startled by the sudden physical contact, and fell silent. “Let’s do this together, okay? We’re the ones in the arranged marriage, so let’s make the decisions together, get to know each other, and do this on our own terms. No worrying about family or friends, no worrying about the business world, no worrying about anyone other than ourselves. Think we can do it?”

Mark met his gaze with an unidentifiable expression in his eyes. He seemed to be looking for any trace of deceit or dishonesty in Jinyoung’s eyes. He was looking at Jinyoung like he didn’t know how to trust.

Finally, he smiled softly, a subdued version of the awkward laugh that seemed to represent Mark in his entirety. “Yeah, I think we can.”

Jinyoung matched Mark’s smile. “That’s good to hear.”

 

* * *

 

Yena sighed as her driver drove her to her destination. She had changed into something a little more comfortable and definitely less professional, but it didn’t matter.

She wasn’t actually going to work anyway.

This was one of the reasons why she didn’t like Jinyoung staying over. She couldn’t be a terrible person and deny him, especially when his need for her outweighed her discomfort, but there were still some things she wanted to keep secret from him until she got a handle on them.  She was surprised that he hadn’t caught on, considering how he was still staying with her and how many times she’d had to lie to him.

“Ms. Kim, we’re here,” her driver announced.

“Thank you,” she smiled gratefully at him before climbing out of the car and staring at the familiar building for a brief second before heading inside for her appointment.

“Ah, Ms. Kim, you’re right on time,” the receptionist greeted politely. “Dr. Choi will see you now.”

“Thank you.”


	4. Past and Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jinyoung tries to mend bridges with Mark without needed Yena's help... and only partially succeeds.

When Jinyoung came back to the apartment, Yena still wasn’t home. It was kind of worrying, but he didn’t pay much attention to it. Work emergencies never stuck to a normal schedule, so she could be home in a few minutes or a few hours.

As he hung his coat in the closet and collapsed on the couch, he was struck by how awkward it was. He’d been staying with Yena for about a month or so now, and yet the apartment didn’t seem like home for him. He felt...  _ uncomfortable _ in it without Yena. The air was stiff and unwelcoming, like the apartment itself didn’t want Jinyoung around anymore. When he went into his bedroom, the malicious air remained, pursuing Jinyoung no matter where he was in the apartment.

Thinking about it, Jinyoung really didn’t need to stay with Yena anymore. In fact, he should’ve gone back the moment his mother accepted him again: he had left because of her, so he should’ve gone back because of her. Yet here he was, overstaying at his closest friend’s house. Why? He was always good at being a gentleman, good at knowing the boundaries and never crossing them, but he had grossly overstayed his visit. His initial reservations about the two of them playing house had turned into two siblings rooming together, and now he was too comfortable. At the very least, Yena deserved getting her apartment back for helping Jinyoung through this.

If he was honest, though, Jinyoung didn’t want to go back to his family home. He wanted to live on his own, be independent. He felt like if he went back to his parents, he would end up returning to his old mindset of pleasing his parents’ desires before his own. He wanted to have the space to be himself, to think for himself, without the influence of others. He needed his own space as much as Yena needed it back.

Just then, there was the sound of the key in the lock turning, and the front door opened to reveal Yena, her work clothes hanging haphazardly on her body and her entire frame exuding exhaustion. “Hey,” she breathed as she kicked off her shoes and hung her coat in the closet. “How was your date?”

“Not a date,” he corrected, before adding, “You look exhausted. Why don’t you go shower or take a nap or something, and I’ll order some takeout.”

“Sounds good to me,” she said. “I want jjajjangmyeon.”

“Okay,” he agreed, “now go relax. I’ll get you in an hour.”

She hummed in response before she trudged to her bedroom. Jinyoung had never seen her that tired before. At the same time, though, she looked... relaxed. Like she knew what a heavy workload she had, but she knew how to get it done, even if it was going to be stressful. Memories of her other work emergencies came back, and he realized that that same relaxed-stressed expression was consistent with every work emergency she’d had. 

He didn’t know what to make of it. Whenever he had a work emergency, he always ended up so stressed his entire body would seize up and his head would be pounding like he had a hangover for days until he solved the problem. Why did Yena enjoy work emergencies so much?

_ Maybe it’s because she loves her job. _ The errant thought floats through his head but resonates, bouncing off the walls and echoing louder, etching itself into his brain. Because it was true: Yena loved her job. She was passionate about cooking, passionate about the culinary world, and passionate about her workplace. She was lucky it happened to be an option for her. Jinyoung didn’t mind his job, accepted it long ago, but there were times when he wished he could pursue something he enjoyed, even if he didn’t know what that was. 

He was so lost in thought that a sudden  _ hiss  _ made him yelp sharply, jumping in his seat. It was only a few moments later that he realized that Yena had decided to take a shower, and the sound came from her turning the water on. Back in the real world, Jinyoung grabbed his laptop and began looking for apartments. 

Searching through all the listings, Jinyoung felt lost. He didn’t know what he wanted. Did he want a lot of space? Should he expect to have a lot of guests over? Is he planning on having parties of any kind? Is he going to stay there long, or should he be planning on getting something bigger? Should he rent or buy? What kind of security should he be looking for?

This was harder than he thought.

Closing the tab, he stared blankly at his computer screen. He didn’t know what to do.

_ Ding. _

He fumbled for his phone, which had fallen from his pocket in between the sofa cushions. After he had gotten it, however, the message almost made him drop it again.

_ Hello Jinyoung-sshi, this is Tuan Mark. You gave me your number today at the café. I was wondering if you’re available tomorrow for lunch. _

What should he say? He was technically free most weekends, and this weekend was no exception. It was just that Jinyoung still felt awkward around him, and he wasn’t sure how to rectify it. He considered asking Yena for help, but then stopped. He was making a big deal out of nothing, wasn’t he? He was free, he wanted to help Mark, they should meet up and get to know each other. Simple as that. There shouldn’t be a question.

_ Hello Mark-sshi. I am free tomorrow. Have you heard of The A Bistro? Yena and I used to go there more often when we were teenagers. It has the best American brunch in Seoul. _

He hit send before he could overthink things and then moved on to the task of ordering takeout for the two of them.

The moment he finished, his phone dinged again with another message from Mark.

_I’m surprised that I haven’t heard of it. I love brunch._ _I’d love to go there, does 11 sound good?_

_ Sounds good to me,  _ Jinyoung replied.  _ I’ll send you the address. I’ll see you then. _

Takeout arrived before Mark replied, so Jinyoung put his phone aside and left to go take care of dinner.

“Yena-ya!” He called as soon as he returned with the takeout. “Are you awake?”

He heard her groan from her room. “Give me five minutes.”

“Okay,” he said, heading to the dining room to set up.

When she came out, her eyes still looked sleepy and her hair was a bit of a mess, but she looked more well rested than when she came in. It was kind of strange, seeing her so disorganized and sloppy. He wasn’t sure if he had ever seen her like that before in his entire life.  “Good nap?”

“Great nap,” she yawned, stretching, “but dinner smells delicious.”

“Then let’s eat,” he said, gesturing to the table.

  
  
  


“I’ve been looking at apartments.”

Yena glanced up, shocked at Jinyoung’s words. “Really?”

“I’ve overstayed my welcome here,” he said.

“Not necessarily,” She replied quickly. “I wouldn’t mind if you stayed.”

“No, I think it’s time I moved out.” He didn’t mention how the apartment no longer seemed like home, or how uncomfortable it was without her. “I just... didn’t want to go home.”

She nodded in understanding. “It makes sense. After coming out, you want to start the new phase of your life with a change.”

“Exactly,” he said. “But I’m still trying to figure out what I want.”

“You don’t need to have your dream apartment right now,” she shrugged. “At the very least, you need decent security, enough room for you and at least a guest bedroom, in the off chance you suddenly need to host an important visitor. If you really want to live like a chaebol, you can get one with a full kitchen and dining room, but I doubt you want dinner parties every month.” 

Jinyoung shook his head. “The only people I’ll have at my apartment are the ones who are close to me,” he insisted.

“Then you just want a high end apartment, maybe a two bed, two bath, with a nice kitchen and maybe enough room for a semi-formal dining table,” Yena suggested. “That might change, though, depending on whether you move in with Mark or vice versa.”

That was true. Mark could very well have his own apartment. Maybe he had a house. He didn’t know. “I hadn’t thought about it.” 

“The next time you see him, ask him about it,” she shrugged. “It couldn’t hurt to plan ahead.”

  
  
  


The next morning, Jinyoung made an effort to let Yena sleep in and chose his outfit himself. He didn’t have to be so formal, anyway: it was just brunch. He was dressed appropriately for a chaebol, of course, but it was still a rather casual look (he even sent Kunpimook a picture just to make sure.) Even dressing himself felt terrifying: he wasn’t sure if he would be overdressed or underdressed, simply because he didn’t know Mark. Would he dress more formally, even to brunch at a smaller-scale restaurant? Mark wasn’t like some chaebols, who took their outfits too seriously, but he couldn’t be sure. Maybe his parents were picky with what he wore. Maybe he _ was _ particular about what he wore. He was dressed rather formally yesterday, but that could have been because he was trying to make a good impression on his future fiancé.

Thankfully, when Mark arrived at the bistro, he was dressed casually, similar to how Jinyoung looked: comfortably yet smart and refined. “Hello,” Mark greeted quietly as he walked up to him, “were you waiting long?”

Jinyoung shook his head. “No, not really. Ready to go in?”

“Yes, please,” Mark smiled as he nearly bounded for the door and pulled it open, holding it for Jinyoung to step through.

The bistro was nicer than he remembered. It had a cozy feel that put Jinyoung at ease, and was full of seemingly happy patrons and calm conversations. It was the perfect place for them to meet. Thankfully, no one seemed to recognize either of them, though their expensive outfits did get them curious looks.

It was only until they were seated and poring over the menus that Mark spoke again. “This is nice,” he admitted quietly.

“Yeah,” Jinyoung smiled. “I haven’t gone out in so long. I’ve always been too exhausted from work to even consider it.”

“I completely understand,” Mark replied. “Work is draining. I tend to lock myself in my room once the weekend hits. As long as I don’t run into my family, it’s a good weekend.”

“Do you live with your family?” It made sense for Mark to live with his parents. They seemed to have a tight hold on his life, of course they wouldn’t let him out of their sight. From what he knows of Mark’s mother, it seemed like they would do everything in their power to keep Mark under their thumb for as long as possible.

He nodded. “I try to get out for the weekend. I have to be back for family dinners, but they’re okay if I don’t have to deal with them outside of those times.”

Jinyoung didn’t how exactly to respond to Mark’s strange candidness, but he managed a smile and a soft, “That’s nice.”

He saw the exact moment Mark saw through his words when his face fell. “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I just... need someone to vent to sometimes, but no one wa-” he cut himself off, shooting Jinyoung another apologetic look.

_ No one wants to talk to me. _ It was a more heartbreaking thought than Jinyoung had expected. “Well, you can always talk to me,” he offered. “I won’t mind.”

Mark raised an eyebrow in clear skepticism. 

“Really,” Jinyoung insisted. “I’m not used to speaking as bluntly as you do, so it might take me some time, but I can promise I won’t judge you.”

It’s obvious that for a few moments, Mark didn’t believe him. Finally, he shrugged in resignation and nodded. “Okay.” It wasn’t quite the expression Jinyoung had hoped for from him, but he knew he had no right to push it, not until he could convince Mark (and himself, by association) that he wouldn’t judge him for being himself and being someone outside of the chaebol world.

He sighed. Better clear the air now. “Listen, Mark, about high school--”

“Don’t worry about it,” Mark interrupted, shaking his head. “I don’t blame you for anything. High school was an... interesting time, and to go to one full of chaebols... one wrong move and you could destroy your entire family. Add teenage hormones and...” 

“You get a whole mess,” Jinyoung breathed shakily. 

Mark chuckled. “Exactly. So let’s wipe the slate clean and ignore anything that happened in high school. That okay with you?”

Jinyoung nodded.

At that moment, the waitress came to take their orders. Jinyoung blinked, suddenly realizing that they were in a bistro. How did he forget? He was usually pretty good at being aware of his surroundings, but Mark made him feel comfortable, like he was in the privacy of his own home.

Speaking of home... 

“So, when we get married,” Jinyoung began a little nervously, “do you want to move into my apartment?”  _ That he hasn’t found,  _ he added in his head.

Mark’s eyes widened for a brief moment before he gave Jinyoung a teasing smirk. “Asking me to move in with you already? You move fast, Jinyoung.”

This time, Jinyoung’s startled reaction was much more favorable. He threw his head back and laughed loudly, hand quickly coming up to cover his mouth as soon as he realized what he was doing. “I didn’t expect that from you,” he giggled, “but yes, that is what I’m asking. I’m certain my apartment will be better for you than living with your parents.”

“Definitely,” the older nodded. “Does it have an extra bedroom for me, just in case?”

If he was being honest, he hadn’t thought about Mark needing his own room, but there were more important things to talk about. “Well,” Jinyoung laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, “to be honest, I haven’t bought it yet.”

Mark laughed, half shocked and half giddy. “Really?” He giggled. “Why would you ask me to move into your nonexistent apartment?”

Jinyoung spluttered ungracefully as he fumbled for a response. It only made Mark laugh harder, and soon the two of them had fallen into ugly yet cheerful fits of laughter that would make rule-abiding chaebols and their families gasp in disgust. And yet, Jinyoung felt free. He didn’t have to worry about pretenses and appearances around Mark. Without the formality of arranged marriages that he was used to with Yena, he felt more comfortable to be himself.

An idea came to him while he tried to calm his giggles. “How about we look for apartments together?” He suggested. “I mean, we’re moving in together but neither of us have an apartment. Why not look for an apartment that fits both of us?”

Mark thought it over for a bit before shrugging. “Sounds good to me,” he said.

Jinyoung grinned. “Great,” he said. “What do you want in an apartment?”

  
  


When Jinyoung left the bistro, he felt lighter than air. Mark was refreshing in its purest form, a person he felt so completely comfortable with, despite not knowing him well. They seemed to click on so many levels, not just the apartment, but what they wanted from life. His laugh was contagious and his smile bright. Why did people try to obscure Mark’s personality just because he was gay? Why had he let himself stay away from him in high school? If they had met then, maybe Jinyoung would have realized he was gay earlier, and then maybe Jinyoung and Mark would have been in the arranged marriage sooner, and the whole gay-porn-coming-out thing would have never happened in the first place. Maybe they all would have been happier if Jinyoung had gotten the courage to stand by the outed gay kid.

Reality washed over him like a cold tidal wave when he checked his phone. He had emails from work, about incompetent employees and business deals and meetings with other chaebols. He had texts from his parents, asking what he thought about Mark and if he could come to dinner sometime next week, possibly with Mark.

Most importantly though, he had several text messages from Yena.

_ Where are you? Did you have an emergency meeting at work? _

_ Are you okay? Where did you go so early in the morning? _

 

_ You’ve been gone for a couple of hours... I’m starting to get worried. _

_ I know you wouldn’t leave the apartment without needing a good reason to, and I just checked and no one broke in. _

 

_ Kunpimook told me you were having brunch with Mark. Why didn’t you tell me?  _

_ At least let me know if you’re going somewhere. I was so worried. _

 

_ I’m heading out to run some errands. I’ll probably be back before dinner. I left a list of apartments I thought you might like on the counter. It’s not an exhaustive list, but it’s a good place to start. _

 

Jinyoung stared at his phone screen, indistinguishable emotions rushing through him.


	5. Foot in the Door

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... it's been five months... I'm sorry.

True to her words, Jinyoung didn’t see Yena that night, nor did he see her much afterward. Everytime he did see her, they would share a short, unsubstantial conversation that made him feel even more distant from her. Yena was starting to feel more like a business partner than a lifelong friend, and it made Jinyoung’s heart ache.

He couldn’t help but feel guilty. He had been so focused on Mark that he’d been neglecting Yena. Work had gotten hectic lately, and Jinyoung had been spending more of his free time with Mark, finding apartments and just hanging out, getting to know each other. He couldn’t help it: Mark was interesting to be around. He was much more in touch with reality than most chaebols, and was always eager to do things most chaebols didn’t: eating greasy food at street markets, hanging out at dive bars, and playing every street game they could find. 

Jinyoung couldn’t help but be swept up in Mark’s spontaneity. He felt like a teenager again, doing everything that had been forbidden from him, simply because he could. It helped that he was an adult who wasn’t entirely under the thumb of his parents and under the scrutiny of his peers, but that was beside the point. 

The point was that Mark made him feel young. But Mark also knew when to be an adult.

“It  _ is  _ your fault that Yena’s so distant with you,” he pointed out, eyes focused on his approaching food. They were having lunch at some five-star restaurant to keep up some pretense, but it was already turning out to be a miserable experience. Everything here was scripted to perfection, and Jinyoung had had enough of this stiff perfection already. “She’s been helping you deal with the whole gay drama, and then you make her worry about your safety and leave her out of the loop.”

Distracted, Jinyoung tried to focus on replying to Mark. “I know that, but I just... wanted to prove that I could be independent. But in the end I messed up and now I don’t know how to fix it.”

“Well, for starters, avoiding her while you try to figure out the right answer isn’t really helping,” Mark said once the waitress walked away. 

“I know, hyung” he sighed. “I just don’t know what to do first.”

The elder smiled softly, leaning back. “That’s something most chaebols don’t learn: how to fix their own mistakes. The next time you see Yena, say whatever comes to mind. You can figure it out from there.”

* * *

 

He was sitting nervously at the dining table when Yena came home that night. She had started to come home later and later, and was dealing with more and more work emergencies. He didn’t know if she was trying to avoid him or if there actually more problems at work, but he didn’t feel comfortable enough to question it.

It was a scary and saddening thought, being so distant from someone he was very close to.

“Jinyoung-oppa?” Yena called tentatively, bringing him out of his head. “Is everything alright?”

“Y-yeah,” he stammered. “Can... can I talk to you?”

Something behind her eyes shifted, like blinds being lowered to block out the outside world. It hurt. “Of course.” She elegantly lowered herself into a seat across from him, and suddenly the table felt too large, too restrictive, too formal for Jinyoung.

He swallowed thickly. He almost wanted to move them both to the living room or the kitchen, somewhere more casual and comfortable, but if he did that, he’d chicken out. It was now or never. “I’m sorry, Yena-ya.”

She blinked, taken back. “What do you mean by that? Why are you apologizing?”

“Because I’ve been taking advantage of you.” Jinyoung bit his lip nervously. “I’ve overstayed my welcome, I’ve been telling you all my problems and expecting you to fix them for me, and I haven’t even shown the slightest bit of gratitude in return.”

“Oppa...”

“No, you can’t deny that I’ve been using you,” he interrupted. “You went through all the trouble of looking for apartments for  _ me,  _ and I just made you worry for hours while I was talking with Mark.”

She sighed. “Okay, so maybe I was a little hurt that you never told me about meeting up with Mark, and that I had to find out from Kunpimook, of all people,” she admitted, “but you’ve been happier lately. I can’t really fault you for that.”

“You should,” Jinyoung insisted. “You need to hold me accountable whenever I’m being a bad friend, even if I’m happy. What if I made a mistake, but you didn’t tell me because I looked happier? What if I’m so happy that I’m blinded to reality? If you were in my position, I would’ve told yo.”

“Okay,” she nodded. “I understand. I won’t do it again.”

Belatedly, Jinyoung realized his error, and he hurried to add, “Don’t apologize! I didn’t mean to make you feel guilty, I just... I just don’t want you to let me off easy.”

A bemused grin spread on her face. “You want me to be mad at you?” She asked.

“If you’re mad at me, yes,” Jinyoung nodded emphatically.

“Alright,” Yena said, standing up and slamming her hands on the table. “Jinyoung-oppa, I’m mad at you.”

“Why?” Jinyoung prompted.

“Because you’re leaving me out. I want to meet Mark, but you never bring him over, and I want to make sure he’s treating you right.”

He blinked. That hadn’t been what he’d expected her to say. “Wha-what?”

“You’ve practically spent the last two weeks with him, I wanna meet him,” she repeated childishly. “I want to see if he’s good enough to steal my best friend from me for two weeks. I’ve barely seen you, and you live with me!”

Jinyoung let out a breathy laugh. “I... I don’t know what to say.”

“How about an ‘Yena-ya, I’m sorry?’” Yena pouted. “I deserve that, at least.”

“Yena-ya, I’m sorry,” Jinyoung apologized dutifully. “I didn’t mean to leave you out.”

She grinned. “Good. And...?”

“I promise I’ll introduce you to Mark,” he finished. “As soon as he can.”

Nodding, Yena walked around the table to wrap Jinyoung in a hug. “Good. Don’t do it again.”

 

* * *

  
  


“She wants to meet me?” Mark asked. Jinyoung was stuck working through his lunch break, so Mark had called him. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Jinyoung hummed as he typed. “Why, do you not want to?”

“No, I’d love to see Yena,” the older answered. “It’s been what, six months since I last saw her?”

“Your family works with Yena’s?” He frowned. Why hadn’t he known about this?”

“We did,” Mark confirmed. “We worked with Yena for catering for big events, mostly, and with Yugyeom for bioinformatics. We just haven’t had any major events since.”

“Huh,” Jinyoung said, leaning back in his chair. “I hadn’t noticed.”

“I mean, we never got to interact much,” Mark said. “It was always my parents who talked to Yena. They’d always come back and complain about how I’m a bad heir in comparison.”

Jinyoung felt his chest tighten. Mark almost never talked about his parents, choosing to make a short comment before moving on, but whenever the subject came up, it made Jinyoung ache. He wanted to wrap Mark in a blanket and protect him from the world, even though he was younger than Mark. “Yeah?”

“Well, so... I’ve never spent a lot of time with Yena, but as your soon-to-be husband, I should meet your best friend, shouldn’t I?” Mark asked, a light tone in his voice. “I mean, are you going to have her as your best maid?”

Jinyoung laughed. “Best maid? I think all the traditional chaebols would faint if they saw my ex-fiancée as my best maid.”

“Well, it’s not like we’ll have a lot of conservative chaebols in attendance, right?” Mark replied. “And if it bothers them, then screw them. They don’t know you or Yena at all.”

He snorted to himself. “Well said,” he conceded. “Who are you planning on having in your wedding party?”

Mark hummed. “Probably Wang Jackson. I don’t know if you remember him, he moved back to Hong Kong when we were in elementary school. I haven’t seen him since then, but we kept in touch, and I think he’d find time to fly over for the wedding, at least.”

“Then our wedding party will consist of Yena and Jackson, unless you want your siblings in as well,” Jinyoung said.

“No, let’s keep our family out of it,” Mark said firmly.

“Sounds good to me,” he agreed easily, trying to calm his fiancé. “So, are you free this weekend?”

“To meet Yena? Always,” the older answered. “I honestly can’t wait to see her. It’s different now that I know she’s your best friend, and not your fiancé.”

“I don’t know whether I should be jealous that you’re so eager to hang out with my best friend, or if I should ask you if  _ you’re  _ jealous that she was my previous fiancé, hyung,” Jinyoung said wryly.

“A reminder that I’m gay, Jinyoung,” he could almost hear Mark roll his eyes over the phone. “And secondly, I’m not jealous that Yena was your first fiancé. I’m just saying that before all this, she had no connection to me. Now she does.”

“Okay,” Jinyoung drawled. “Whatever you say. Hey, I gotta get back to work. I’ll check with Yena, make sure she’s free, and I’ll let you know, okay?”

“Alright,” Mark said quietly. “Bye, Jinyoung-ah.”

He smiled. He liked the way Mark said his name, the way he almost sung it like a lullaby, full of fondness and affection. “Bye, Mark-hyung.”

It was only after he hung up that he registered the blush on his face.

“Am I free?” Yena hummed contemplatively as she worked in the kitchen. “I should be. I have an... I have something early in the afternoon, but I can definitely do dinner.”

“Something? Is it anything I should worry about?” Jinyoung asked, leaning forward to give Yena a smirk. “Are you going on a date?”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah right,” she said, batting him away. “No, it’s...” she stopped, frown on her face as she tried to formulate words.

“You don’t have to tell me,” Jinyoung said immediately.

“No,” she shook her head. “It  _ is  _ something important, I just... I’m not ready to tell you yet. I haven’t really told anyone outside of my family.”

“Take your time,” he told her. “I can wait.”

“Thanks, oppa,” she smiled gratefully. “When I’m ready, I promise you’ll be the first one to know.”

“Good,” Jinyoung grinned back.

That Saturday, Mark arrived at Yena and Jinyoung’s apartment, dressed in jeans and a sweater he couldn’t stop fidgeting with, and carrying an almost absurdly large bouquet of flowers. 

“What the...” Jinyoung began, staring in confusion at the flowers.

“I kinda panicked,” Mark admitted. “I didn’t have anything for Yena, and I...”

Fighting back his laughter--it was adorable how worried his fiancé was--Jinyoung commented, “it’s my best friend, not my parents, you don’t need to be so worked up.”

“I couldn’t help it,” Mark whined as Jinyoung led him inside. “I want to make a good impression.”

“You didn’t need to, Mark-sshi,” Yena interjected as she came in from the balcony. “I’ve always had a good impression of you.”

“Yena-sshi, I stole your best friend for two weeks,” Mark deadpanned.

“That’s Jinyoung-oppa’s problem, not yours, and I’ve already yelled at him for it,” Yena countered. “So, are we going to eat and have fun, or are we going to sit in awkward silence during dinner?”

“Let’s eat and have fun,” Jinyoung insisted, looping an arm through Mark’s, jostling the bouquet.

“Right, these are yours,” Mark said, rushing to thrust the bouquet into Yena’s hands.

“I guessed so,” Yena smiled. “These are lovely. Thank you, Mark-ssi.”

“You don’t need to be so formal with me, Yena-sshi,” he said as she grabbed a vase to put the flowers in.

“Okay, Mark-oppa,” she smiled sweetly. “Let’s sit outside for dinner. It’s nice out tonight.”

 

* * *

 

“So, when are you guys going to go public?” Yena asked as they ate. “I know some people are starting to suspect something, considering you’re seen out with Mark more than me. If I get one more person asking me if everything’s alright between me and Jinyoung, I’m gonna scream.”

“I mean, there’s that huge charity ball at the end of the month, right?” Mark mused. “I would be fine coming out there.”

Jinyoung played with food, suddenly nervous. He liked Mark, yes, and he liked spending time with him, but he wasn’t sure if he was quite ready to come out that soon. But if he didn’t do it soon, someone could find out on their own and it would be more of a scandal than if he did it on his own terms.

“Are you okay, Jinyoung-ah?” Mark asked, placing a hand on Jinyoung’s back and rubbing it comfortingly. Jinyoung instinctively leaned into the touch. “We don’t have to come out then. We can wait.”

“No, we can’t,” Jinyoung shook his head. “If not, then someone could expose us and make a bigger deal out of it.”

“Still, you don’t need to force youself,” Yena insisted. “We can just tell everyone that we broke off our engagement months ago, and then leave hints that you’re with Mark now so that you don’t need to make a statement right then and there. You probably won’t have to do anything really drastic, just hold hands and maybe dance together. No need for excessive PDA or anything, and then you guys can head back early, say that you’re still getting used to being out in public, which is pretty true, and won’t leave much room for confusion.”

Said like that, Jinyoung felt a little better. It was like sending out feelers, leaving nothing fully confirmed yet, but enough for people to get the point and form their own opinions. “Is that okay with you?” Yena asked.

“Are you okay with that, hyung?” Jinyoung asked.

“I’m okay with whatever makes you comfortable, Jinyoung-ah,” Mark said soothingly. “I’ve been out for so long that I’m used to it. But you... you only came out to your family what, a month and a half ago, and now you’re coming out to the public in two weeks? It’s a lot. I don’t blame you for wanting to push it back any more.”

Did he really need the time? If he didn’t come out at the charity ball, the next major event he could come out at would be in two months, way too far for his liking. If people were already suspecting things after two weeks, in two months, everyone would know everything, regardless of whether he was ready or not.

He turned to look at Mark, who was staring at him with concern in his eyes. Didn’t he say that he wished that Mark’s sexuality wasn’t the main thing everyone knew about him? Didn’t he wish that people would see Mark for Mark, not as the gay chaebol? Why was he letting his sexuality affect him so much? He was going to an event with his date. It shouldn’t matter that his date was a guy, or that he had just been in an engagement with a woman just months ago.

“No, I want to do this now. Let’s come out in two weeks,” Jinyoung said with a determination that even shocked him. 

Yena smiled in approval, but that didn’t even compare to the elated expression on Mark’s face. “Alright then, I’ll call your mother and let her know of your plans,” she said. “Let’s turn the chaebol world on its end.”


	6. Moving Up and Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jinyoung and Mark find the apartment of their dreams and plan for the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god, it's been a long two and a half months, but I'm back! I hope you guys enjoy!

**JYM not JYP (3)**

**Yena: what do you think of this apartment? [attached link]**

**Yena: It’s pretty close to both of your workplaces**

**Mark: Looks cozy for a penthouse. I like it :)**

**Mark: And it’s pretty cheap!**

**Yena: ...Oppa, you have a loose definition of the term “cheap.”**

**Mark: You’re so mean, Yena-ya :( It’s cheap for a penthouse.**

**Yena: Jinyoung oppa, what do you think?**

Jinyoung smiled. After the first meetup, the three of them had exchanged Kakao IDs and started a group chat, talking about anything and everything. It made work more bearable, knowing that Mark and Yena were one message away. If something at work happened, one of them would text it to the others, and they would talk about it. If they planned on taking their lunch breaks at the same time, they arranged an impromptu lunch.

It was nice, having people to talk to. He’d always felt awkward texting Yena, in case she was busy or didn’t like texts at work. But now, he felt more comfortable talking to them, making jokes and complaining.

He opened a message.

**It looks good. We should go check it out this weekend.**

**Mark: I’m free this weekend.**

**Yena?**

**Yena: Oppa, you want me to come?**

**Mark: You found this apartment for us. Why would we NOT want you to come?**

**Yena: It IS an apartment for you two. Not me.**

**And we want the advice of our dear friend who’s been so kind**

**as to help us in our search for an apartment, especially when**

**you consider the fact that you’re the only one out of us who’s**

**actually moved out.**

**Yena: ... Okay, I get it, oppa. I’ll come.**

**Mark: Don’t sound too excited :P**

**Are you actually free this weekend, Yena-ya?**

**Yena: I have an appointment Saturday afternoon, but that’s it.**

**Mark: Then let’s do Sunday morning. I can schedule a tour for 10:00.**

**I’m okay with that.**

**Yena: Me too. Jinyoung-oppa and I will meet you there.**

 

“This is really nice,” Mark said for the twelfth time as they wandered through the penthouse. The landlord was tailing them, occasionally giving facts about the penthouse, but otherwise letting the three of them explore on their own.

“Definitely better than the other ones,” Jinyoung agreed quietly.

They had been to several open houses over the last two weeks, looking at various apartments. None of them had felt right.

_“It’s nice, but it’s a little far. There aren’t any convenience stores nearby, I won’t be able to get late night ramen!”_

_“We don’t really need five bedrooms and five and a half bathrooms. Seriously, how did they manage to get this much space in this part of Seoul?”_

_“We_ **_really_ ** _don’t need vaulted ceilings and chandeliers in our apartment. I don’t want to feel like an ant in my apartment.”_

“It’s large enough to have a dinner party with friends but small enough that it’s cozy and intimate,” Yena nodded. “It also looks structurally sound. I didn’t find any mold or damage.”

“Yeah, of all the apartments and penthouses we’ve seen, this is the best one for sure,” Jinyoung said softly, making sure the owner didn’t hear.

Mark hummed in agreement, still gazing around him.

“I’m gonna go talk to the owner. You two need to decide soon what apartment you want to move in. It would probably be best if you guys moved in and got settled _before_ the charity ball because I don’t know what impact your coming out will do. After the ball, you’ll both be too busy dealing with the press,” Yena excused herself, leaving the two of them in the master bedroom.

“Do you want to keep looking?” Mark asked, finally turning to look at him. “I mean, this is the best apartment so far, but there could be better.”

“There could,” Jinyoung agreed, nodding, “but is it bad that I really like this apartment? I don’t think I want to keep looking.”

Mark breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh thank god, I was thinking the same thing. I don’t know how it can get better than this. If there is, I don’t want it.”

“It’s affordable, there’s enough space for both of us, and it’s close to both of our workplaces,” Jinyoung listed. “This just feels right for us, doesn’t it?”

He nodded. “Should we go tell the landlord we want to put an offer down?”

  
  
  


It was at times like these that Jinyoung really appreciated being a chaebol. The landlords were all too willing to accept their offer, letting them move in almost as soon as they signed the lease.

For the most part, Jinyoung and Mark didn’t have much to move in. When their movers finished transporting all their stuff from their family homes to the new penthouse, the apartment suddenly seemed even larger.

“To be fair, we’ve only ever had one room, and now we have several,” Mark grinned at him. “We should go furniture shopping soon.”

Jinyoung returned the smile. It felt liberating moving out of his parents’ house, and he knew that Mark felt the same way. He felt invincible, independent, and ready to start a new phase in his life. They ordered takeout and ate it while sitting on the floor of what would eventually be their living room, talking animatedly about what they wanted to do with the apartment and what they wanted from each other as roommates.

After lunch, they went out shopping for furniture, giddily walking around, looking at everything the store had to offer. If they didn’t have to at least try to adhere to their chaebol appearances, they would’ve been giggling the entire time, eagerly trying out every sofa they could find. As it was, they could barely contain themselves, quickly deciding on what they wanted and ordering it. They noticed people staring, clearly recognizing the two of them, but no one approached them. It made Jinyoung feel uncomfortable. He usually didn’t care, but maybe because Yena had told them that people were starting to notice, he now felt self-conscious. What did they think of him? Did they notice anything? Were they starting to suspect, too? He wasn’t ready to face the backlash just yet.

“Hey, you okay?”

Flinching, he turned to face the older, who had a soft grip on his shoulder. “Uh, yeah, just a little self-conscious.” He glanced away, fighting the urge to slump and hide his face.

“Hey, don’t worry about them,” Mark shook his head, patting his shoulder. “They’re just curious. Yena did say people were starting to notice. Just act casual, and they’ll just think we’re just two guys hanging out.”

“Hanging out in a furniture store?” Jinyoung said, skeptical. “That doesn’t scream ‘domestic’ to you?”

He shrugged. “I mean, we’re basically roommates. There shouldn’t be anything scandalous about us furniture shopping, even if we’re both gay. It’s not that big of a deal.” He looked nonchalant, but there was a defiant spark in his eyes, daring anyone to take his happiness away.

Jinyoung realized that _this_ was why Mark hadn’t been weak and broken by his parents’ disappointment and anger, by the judgment of his peers and complete strangers. He knew what was coming and he faced it head-on. He chose to be honest about himself than try to fit his parents’ expectations, knowing the consequences of coming out. He didn’t hide away, choosing to go out in public, holding his head high even though everyone knew he was a shame to his family.

No, Mark wasn’t weak. He was the bravest person he knew.

Straightening his shoulders, he nodded at Mark. “You’re right. Let’s buy our stuff.”

  
  


It surprisingly didn’t take long for their apartment to look like it came out of a furniture magazine. It probably was because they had the money to make it happen, and they didn’t do any of the actual moving, but still, it only took about five days for the apartment to look complete.

They had Yena over for a little housewarming dinner that weekend.

“Wow,” she breathed as she walked around. “It looks nice. You guys did well with the place.”

“Thanks, Yena-ya,” Mark grinned as he sipped at his coffee.

Jinyoung watched the two of them eagerly talk about the apartment. It really was great to see the two of them get along. It just seemed right, to have the three of them supporting each other. Now, watching them tease each other like siblings, everything felt complete.

“So, the charity ball’s next week,” Yena said during dinner, carefully scanning their faces. “Do you know what you’re going to do?”

“Not... really,” Jinyoung shook his head. “Just... go together, and dance?”

“They won’t believe that,” Mark shook his head. “They’ll probably just think I paid you or something like that.”

Yena sighed. “But we shouldn’t have to force you guys to be romantic towards each other,” she sighed, leaning back in her chair. “It wouldn’t help if all three of us came together, either.”

“How about Mark and I just stay together the entire night? I doubt there will be much for me to talk about with the other chaebols, and it’ll be better if we’re together, for moral support. People are going to notice us together. Let’s not give them the chance to passive-aggressively target and attack us,” Jinyoung said firmly.

“My parents and Jinyoung-oppa’s parents know the plan,” she said. “They’ll fend off the older generation. Yugyeom and I will help you with the people our age.”

“That’s good,” Mark sighed in relief. “This is going to be a whole mess.”

“But it’ll be good for us in the long run,” Jinyoung countered.

“Besides, it will be better if you have control over coming out than it being leaked,” Yena added. “The longer we wait, the more people will notice.”

Jinyoung’s palms suddenly felt clammy. It wasn’t just that more people would notice. It was that more people would _know_ that he was gay. That his engagement to Yena really was a hoax. That he was with Mark now. Was he ready for the whole world to know? Was he ready to deal with the stares, the homophobic comments, the loss of business partners because his coming out caused major drops in the stock market?

“Jinyoung-ah?” Mark’s voice broke through his thoughts. “Are you okay?”

“Uh, yeah,” Jinyoung breathed. “Fine.”

The other two clearly didn’t look convinced. “Just... thinking about what’s going to happen after this,” he added, throat tight.

A heavy silence fell over the table. No one knew what to do. They knew that this could end badly. They knew that things would be different. But none of them would understand just how terrified Jinyoung was. No one would look at him the same after this. The business could suffer because of this. If his family’s business suffered because of this, Jinyoung wouldn’t be able to forgive himself. It was his worst nightmare, destroying his work his family put into their business.

“Hey,” Mark said softly, reaching over to grab his hand, rubbing soothing circles into his skin. It worked, for the most part. Jinyoung focused on the feeling of Mark’s hand on his as the older continued, “I’m just as scared as you are. I’m scared that people will just think I’m forcing you to be my fiancé. I’m scared that this will make my parents actually disown me and try to undermine everything your mother’s working for. But honestly? I’m most scared for _you,_ Jinyoung.”

Jinyoung’s breath hitched.

“You have the most to lose. Me? Everyone knows I’m gay, I’ve already dealt with the backlash, and now it’s old news. Yena will be seen as a victim of all this, no one will bother her. But you... no one would ever expect this of you. People who are looking at the future of chaebol business expect a lot out of you, Jinyoung. You’re responsible, dedicated, and committed to your company. People who want to invest in the stock market will invest in your company because it’s a safe, stable choice. You coming out... it makes you a wild card. Homophobia aside, people will wonder if your stable persona is just that, a facade. It’ll make people worry that you aren’t what you portray yourself as. But you can change it, Jinyoung. You can prove that nothing about you is different. Most importantly, you can pave the way for other chaebols to express themselves, be who they are and still thrive. No one should have to live their lives in fear. It won’t help the chaebol community, and it’s about time we change that. If we don’t do that now, then who will?”

The world around him was starting to shake. Jinyoung couldn’t stop trembling, plagued by thoughts of how badly this could be. He hadn’t thought about it before, too happy about being accepted to think about the consequences of his actions. He’d always played it safe: didn’t attend any wild parties, didn’t stray from his studies or his work, didn’t argue with his engagement to Yena even after he realized he was gay. Now, he was deliberately doing something to put himself in the spotlight. People dismissed all the wild stuff some chaebols did as being “rebellious” and “normal.” Coming out, though, wouldn’t be dismissed just like that. A lot of people would see him as “shameful” and a “disgrace.” Most of the people Jinyoung worked and interacted with were more like Mark’s parents than his own. There would be no going back.

“Oppa?” Yena said finally, leaning down so that she was in his line of sight. She reached out to grasp Mark and Jinyoung’s hands between her own, squeezing them reassuringly. “It will be okay. I know it’s scary, and I know I’m not going through the same thing you are, but I know that we’ll be okay. I’ve been doing my research, sending out feelers to see how people feel about homosexuality, and trying to figure out all possible outcomes so I can protect you guys. I won’t lie to you and say no one’s going to care and there won’t be any backlash. There will be, and it will hurt. I just want you to know that I will take care of you and Mark. You can always come to me for help or support when times get tough.”

“I know,” Jinyoung said, eyes still trained on the table. “It’s just scary.”

“We know,” Mark murmured, squeezing his hand again. “Trust us, we’re just as scared. The only thing we know for sure is that we’ll protect each other.”

  
  
  


The smell of bacon woke Jinyoung up that Sunday. He hadn’t had bacon in a long time--at least, not prepared the American way--so he was surprised that he still recognized the smell. Rolling out of bed, he sleepily made his way to the bathroom to brush his teeth quickly before heading into the kitchen.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” Jinyoung could hear Mark’s grin from where he was, staring at the older’s back. “Hungry?”

He yawned. “Yeah. Anything I can do to help?”

“I’m actually almost done, so could you set the table?” Mark asked, still not turning around.

“Yeah, sure,” Jinyoung nodded, reaching for the cabinets. “What’s for breakfast?”

“Um...” Mark hummed, gathering his words. “Eggs, bacon, and toast. Sorry, I’m not a chef like Yena.”

He chuckled. “I don’t think anyone’s a chef like Yena. I mean, I’d be hopeless without my family chef.”

“Maybe we can learn together, then,” Mark finally turned around, shooting him a soft smile over his shoulder.

For a moment, it felt like time stopped. All Jinyoung could feel was the pounding of his heart and the distinct lack of air in his lungs. There was something about Mark’s smile that made the whole world need to take a moment to appreciate it. It was a shame that only Jinyoung saw it. Or maybe it was a blessing, he wasn’t sure. Either way, Jinyoung was the recipient of Mark’s kindness, and he was enjoying it.

It was only when Mark turned back to the stove that Jinyoung caught himself. What was he doing? Now wasn’t the time to have an emotional crisis. Shaking his head to try and clear his thoughts, he began to set the table.

Breakfast was delicious, and he told Mark so. The resulting blush on his face was entirely worth it. “It’s one of the few things I know how to make well,” he admitted shyly.

“It’s more than what I can do,” Jinyoung reminded him. “I’d probably burn the toast.”

Mark chuckled. “I doubt it,” he said.

“You say that now,” he teased, wagging a finger in Mark’s face, only for him to grab it and pretend to bite it. “Yah!”

Mark just laughed, giggling hysterically at the expression of mock hurt on Jinyoung’s face, making the younger break and join him.

Once their giggles quieted, Mark asked, “are you doing anything today?”

“Just relaxing. You?”

“I was gonna play some Overwatch. Wanna join?”

“Nah, I’m not good at those kinds of games,” Jinyoung shook his head. “I think I’ll just watch some dramas.”

“Okay,” Mark shrugged. “I’ll probably join you in a couple hours. I haven’t been keeping up with the latest dramas.”

“Sounds like a date,” Jinyoung replied, a teasing smile on his face. “See you later, honey~”

Mark stared at Jinyoung for a brief moment in shock, blinking a few times before coming to his sense and sending him an amused, albeit shaky, smile in response. “See you soon, dear,” he breathed as he disappeared into his room.

Once he heard the door close, Jinyoung let his head drop back against the back of the sofa.

What was he doing?


End file.
